Nightmarish Origins
by SquidKirby
Summary: How exactly did Kurumi turn into a Spirit? Why exactly does she do what she does? What sort of trauma and strife did she have to endure? This holds the answer, but it's not a pretty one...
1. Chapter 1: Calamity

"Kimiko! Come on, stay with mommy, okay?"

"But mooommmmmm….look at that! It's a grandfather clock, just like the one Uncle Hiro has!"

Tick, tock, the clock went in the display window, the time displayed: 1:12 PM.

It was a peaceful, temperate day in Kumul, China. The sky was slightly gray with rainclouds, and a light amount or precipitation was currently falling down onto the Earth. Tomoya Kimiko was at the moment wearing a light blue sundress, currently a little damp due to the rain that the seven-year-old had lingered in. A few traces of raindrops fell from her ravenette hair down to the pavement of the sidewalk.

The golden pendulum of the grandfather clock swung, side to side, mechanically ticking away each second as the hands of the clock, ticked on slowly but relentlessly. For some reason, the motion of the clock's face entranced Kimiko so dearly. Her blood-red eyes couldn't help but follow each movement the clock made. It was almost...serene, therapeutic.

"Oh, well yes it is, Kimiko. But come on, we're going to be late. You don't want your father to get angry at us for being late to the big presentation he's got, right? Come on."

"Oh, but Mom~ When will we get one of those?! You promised me that you would get one for my birthday, and my birthday is only in a week, so why can't you get it now…?"

Kimiko's mother simply sighed in defeat, but then maintained her stern tone. "If it's in a week, and if it /is/ the thing that you want, that your heart really wants and nothing else, then I will /get it in a week./ If you do like time, you need to learn of its mechanisms, how cruel it can be sometimes...oh, did I say that out loud? No matter then. Come on, Kimiko, let's get go-"

The air would thicken. Pulse, Energy would gather at a single location so much farther away from the two of them until it would…

Quake.

From the epicenter about 300 miles away, devastating spatial energy would pulsate, screeching, vaporizing all in its way.

Destruction was an understatement of what the spacequake brought. No, a better word would be….deletion. Everything that it touched was subordinate to the sheer power of the malformed distorted space that the quake was currently spreading. The speed of the blast was also awe-inspiring, almost. Nothing got in its way to even slow the destruction down. It roared on, and on, and on, and on…

It finally made its mark in Kumul, but the energy at this point had started...to die. Yes, 300 miles away, the spacequake's power was starting to wane, before it stopped midway into the city. THe city was...somewhat spared.

Somewhat.

Well…

Destruction still roared through half the city, and not even cleanly. Because it did not have enough energy to vaporize the buildings, the houses would instead...be vaulted off into the inner parts of the town, objects now dangerously falling all over the city.

Some of which were headed to Kimiko at the moment.

"KIMIKO!"

Kimiko's mother carried the ravenette girl up into her arms and ran for the nearest shelter, wherever it may be. Although, there wasn't many options really. It was all open, and there were a /lot/ of objects raining from the sky. Pieces of buildings, cars, streetlamps, trees, anything imaginable really.

Roars of pain and screaming could be heard all along as people finally realized what was happening, adding to the death toll of now 150 million people due to this spacequake.

Would Kimiko and her mother be among them?

"Mommy, what's happening?! Why is there screaming?! Why IS THE SKY FALLING?!"

"Kimiko, it's alright, just look at me. Don't look at anyone else! Look at me, alright?!"

A car landed right in front of Kimiko and her mother, forcing the mother to stop suddenly and continue around it. She saw a staircase down into a house's basement, and she would rush down towards it.

"No wasting time. I'm sure that the owners will understand, no?"

And so the mother literally kicked the door open, bringing herself and her child inside. Screaming continued, and the sound and shaking of objects falling from the sky would continue.

"...We're safe, for now...thank Heavens."

"...What….why…..Mommy, what happened…?"

"I don't know, but the important thing is, we're safe. Now we can calm down. Finally."

The First Spacequake. Its epicenter in the middle of Eurasia ravaged throughout the land, and it took 150 million people with it, leaving no evidence of anything that it touched. That is what happened 30 years ago, and it will be forever remembered as Calamity Zero. And from there, Date a Live would make its name…

But what it doesn't reveal is the...painful history of recover, on how the world recovered from Calamity Zero, how it was able to rebuild, on how more Spirits were created and caused Spacequakes on their own.

This tale of Tomoya Kimiko will be revealed, in all its detail, with nothing to hide, and nothing to distort. All of it is real, no matter how you may try to see it.

This is the reason why…

Why I must accomplish my goal.

Kill the First Spirit.

And thus ending all Spirit's Existences.

...Yes, that includes myself. I'm well aware.


	2. Chapter 2: Fallout and 'Liberation'

Hours after Calamity Zero….

There is nothing that can be the pure amount of tension that exists just after a disaster strikes. You don't know what happened, you don't know what to do next, you most likely don't even know what you're doing in the moment. All you do know is that something /will/ happen, and all you can do is sit back and watch.

Thankfully, for some miraculous reason, the lock that Kimiko's mother, Tomoya Minami, of the door that she had broken into was still intact and usable. Thus, the pair did not need to worry of anyone coming in.

Well, yet.

As such, Minami would whisper, some minutes after the last aftershock of falling objects ceased, to the ravenette girl.

"Shh, it's all over. You look tired, no? You should go to sleep~"

Of course, the little Kimiko couldn't help but obey, as the crisis left her emotionally exhausted. And within seconds, the little girl closed her eyes and drifted out of consciousness….

"Zzzzzz…"

"...Oh my child. I'll keep you safe…"

Minami would then lift Kimiko on a conveniently nearby bed, lay the child inside, and tuck her into bed. Her daughter would need the rest.

Now then, to search for whatever was inside here…

Minami would walk throughout the basement, finding whatever was hidden inside. In the basement, there wasn't much. Just a bed that Kimiko was currently occupying, a few extra sheets, a bathroom in the end, some medicine, a pistol, a dumbbell, batteries, a-

Wait, pistol, medicine, batteries?

She walked back to the drawer she had missed and looked back inside. An M1911. Taking the pistol into her hands, Minami examined it. It seemed in working condition, but it wasn't loaded. The ammunition must be somewhere else.

Wait, why was she taking this? Come on, world hasn't fallen to pieces just yet. Still though, Calamity did happen, so there's no telling what would be the aftermath.

The ammunition for the M1911 was not even a drawer away. 50 bullets, and two empty magazines of 7.

'I have to protect Kimiko. Nothing else to it.'

As such, the woman loaded two cartridges, then put the rest of the ammo into the drawer. She loaded one clip into the 1911 with a sharp click, and she pocketed the other clip in her front pocket. To holster it, she would place the weapon in her back pocket and hide the weapon with her baggy jacket.

'Time to search for more of whatever this place ha-'

[ATTENTION, ATTENTION! ALL THOSE AFFECTED BY THE RECENT DISASTER, AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT IS TO BE MADE!]

Something on the loudspeaker was blaring outside, so Minami headed to the door, before stopping to look at Kimiko...still sleeping? Even with the loud blaring of the previous announcement. Not only that, but there was the loud movement of air that seemed to be the source of a...helicopter? Yes, that was it. It must be. And yet, Kimiko was still asleep? If so...then Minami would not interrupt her.

'Yes, continue resting, Kimiko. I won't be gone for long.'

With opening the door, Minami saw all the destruction that laid before her. A mile away on her right, she saw...lifelessness. Cataclysm. Endless brown of the Earth, laid bare and barren, with no evidence of the vibrant life that existed. Didn't in that distance did Kimiko's father told him to wai-

Of course, he must've gotten caught in the blast. No, there was no way he could've survived that. But, the time to mourn for him would be later.

Amidst the central street, where there were still some large objects still littered among the land, a large group of people were looking up into the sky, where a military helicopter was flying above. Every person in the street was either bleeding or dilapidated, likely from dodging death itself falling from the sky and just barely making it out alive. Their faces, though...even though most of them looked pale from previous despair, they were now brightened from this perceived salvation.

"HEY!" One of the people on the ground began to speak. "WHY IS THE EXIT TO THIS CITY BLOCKADED?! WE ALL WANT TO GET TO SAFETY!"

This started a massive uproar among the crowd, as others had begun to shout at the helicopter, coercing whoever was inside for an answer. To which the helicopter responded by using its loudspeaker to yell…

[SILENCE! Now listen and cooperate to what the People's Liberation Army has to say to you. We want to help you, but you have to listen!]

"Oh yeah? What if we don't want to list-"

BANG!

A sniper shot resounded throughout the air, and the offending male that spoke was shot in the head. This caused massive panic amidst the crowd, including Minami who was on the outside of the crowd. Though...no one moved. Everyone remained frozen, in fear. Paralyzed, unable to do anything else…

[Any others? Anyone, and I mean ANYONE that does not cooperate with us. WILL. BE. SHOT. Now then, stay quiet, or you will follow that man's poor fate.

This city, and others on the outside of this catastrophic event, has been placed under martial law until the situation is considered defused and order can be restored. We will be dropping supplies such as food, clothing, and medicine at the market at the center of town weekly. Any attempts to disrupt in such an activity will result in execution.

Curfew from now on will be from 8 AM till 10 PM. If anyone is found outside during this time, they will be summarily shot.

Anyone suspected for doing treasonous or defective behavior will be warned once, then shot on sight.

Any attempt to escape the city will be seen as an act of aggression, and will be treated accordingly.

Hiding illegal personnel or cargo at anytime will also be seen as an act of aggression.

Remember, citizens, this is all to protect you and your safety while we work to defuse and recover from this calamity. That is all we are trying to do.]

Silence would resound, as the helicopter continued to roar, and the message it gave hung heavily in the air. It would then be broken by one person…

"BULLSHIT"

A young female teenager, of blonde hair and purple eyes, would stare defiantly into the helicopter's cockpit and point towards the helicopter.

"What you're describing is not going to 'protect' us. What you're describing is tyranny of the highest, fucking level. You're going to shoot us all down, like animals in a cage, unless we all act like inhuman machines. You can't do that to us, not when we lost so much in this disaster. Do you /understand/ what we're going through? We lost our homes, we lost our friends, WE LOST OUR FAMILY, AND NOW YOU'RE JUST GOING TO IGNORE THAT BY SHOOTING ANY THREAT THAT COMES IN YOUR WAY?!"

The blonde would then turn around from the helicopter and put one fist up into the air. "If ANYONE ELSE thinks what these….'Liberators' are doing to us is wrong, then join me! If you join me, we will gain new order here in this hell. We'll drive these cretins out if they don't change their ways. It'll be called...Invictus! Yes, Invictus!"

The air would then grow deathly silent. Even the helicopter's rotating blades seemed to have dulled in their auditory magnitude.

[Command, what should we do?]

{Kill her, by any means necessary.}

...The sound of a minigun spooling….

"RUN!"

The tail rotor….if that were to be taken out, then...surely…

Minami did not even realize what she was doing until the motions played themselves out. In an instant, the 1911 was in her hands, and with two shots aimed at the tail rotor, the helicopter that began to spool...was now starting to spin.

[MAYDAY, MAYDAY! WE ARE GOING DOWN IN SECTOR H-2-7! REQUESTING BACK-]

As the chopper spun out of control, the minigun that had started to fire missed its mark, now shooting sporadically, hitting the tops of buildings and sometimes sweeping the streets, killing those unfortunately in the way. Into ribbons…..mutilated, cut-up, humanoid ribbons, with crimson pouring from their bodies…

The helicopter would finally crash into a rather tall building, causing the chopper to explode and the building to fall backwards, causing a rather great noise and shake. In the meanwhile, loud sniper shots could be heard, shooting in the direction of the blonde that had spoken earlier.

Though, even though the shots were aimed at her, there were those that would...act as human shield, protecting the proclaimed 'savior' and leader of an organization named...Invictus from harm. The blonde would then disappear through an alleyway, way out of sightline for the faraway sniper.

Minami, in the meanwhile, would take a moment to realize what she had done and then hurry back to the basement.

'KIMIKO! I have to get to her!'

Fortunately, the sniper was occupied on other people, shooting them down with a swift shot to the head. Thus, Minami was able to reach the door to the basement unharmed. Locking the door behind her, she saw Kimiko on the bed, hugging the pillow with tears in her eyes.

"Mommy! MOMMY! WHERE WERE YOU?! I'M SO SCARED! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

"Shh, shh! Mommy's here, mommy's here! Now come on, come with me. We can't stay here. We have to find somewhere else to rest. This place has gotten far too dangerous, so you need to stay with me. At, all times. Got it, Kimiko?"

With a mumble of a 'uh-huh', the ravenette girl would follow her mother, who was currently gathering supplies. The extra ammunition, medicine, flashlight, batteries...it would make do. Putting them all into a rather intact backpack, Minami would grab Kimiko into her arms and make it out the back way, to somehow find a way now in this human-created hell….


	3. Chapter 3: Survival of the Cruellest

It's been a few weeks after the Liberation Army had placed that ultimatum to all in the city, after that girl defiantly stood up against their orders, after Minami had instinctively shot the helicopter down and caused chaos in the entire city.

The aftermath of such an event was not very clean. There was a 'kill on sight' order for the blonde, as well as an increased tension between the captives and the soldiers that patrolled from afar. Sniper shots were disgustingly common sound in anyone's day, although the frequency of them occurring has...diminished lately.

However, the Liberation Army largely kept to their own when it was not curfew, allowing a fragile amount of peace among Kumul. Invictus was slowly growing, from what Minami had heard, but they didn't seem to be doing anything now.

Minami had found a new hiding spot for herself and Kimiko: a small alleyway that would lead to a door with a 10X10 room. The room was cramped, but for the two of them, it would make do. The long alleyway that one had to go made it very obscure as well, so the two wouldn't have to worry of being disturbed. And if they needed to escape in an emergency, there was a trapdoor in the floor that would lead them to the underground.

The daily routine was for Minami to occupy Kimiko with either a book or sleep, urging her to only answer the door if three short knocks followed by two long knocks were given. Otherwise, Kimiko was to not respond, and if they tried to break in, Kimiko was instructed to enter the trapdoor and hide in the center of the underground network, right under the main street, for Minami to find.

Though, this was a special day, as today was Kimiko's birthday.

"Mommy, will you get me something nice as a present, pwease?"

"Aw~ of course dear. I'm sorry that mommy has to be gone all the time. It's to keep you safe and us protected during this ordeal. You know that, right? Trust me, I'll amaze you today, and hopefully make up for me not being here with you!"

Leaving Kimiko in their makeshift apartment, Minami would then travel through the broken city in search of food and other supplies. Often, she would raid the buildings around themselves to empty them of anything useful. So far, she has procured food, clothing, books, paper, pencils, jackets, and even some alcohol and jewelry. Anything that she and Kimiko could use, she would bring back to their apartment. Anything else, she brought it to the central market for trading purposes.

Surprisingly, the Liberation Army kept their word, as twice a week, they would drop crates of supplies in the market. Minami would avoid these initial drops as she heard they became...quite violent. People desperate for supplies would inevitably fight over them, either using guns, blades, or even their bare hands to utterly maim or murder anyone that gets in their way. She heard of one time that a small boy had been almost beaten to death when he tried to carry away a small box of chocolate. The kid's face was apparently swollen all over, purple in color, and that everyone was amazed when he had the willpower to get up and run away from the scene empty-handed.

Besides being a battleground, the market was a large trading post, with constant, surprisingly peaceful banter of new deals, offers, and transactions. Most likely because it was the last shred of a normal society Kumul could have at this point. After all, for the most part, everyone with the exception of those in Invictus were isolated, living to themselves in their respective little "cages" around the city. If someone were foolish to break this sort of serenity, that would just be foolish and catastrophic to any remains of order.

With the alcohol bottle that Minami procured earlier and her M1911 tucked into her back pocket, within reach and hidden, Minami walked into the market and shouted amidst the uproar so she wouldn't get buried. "I HAVE A 40% 32 OUNCE WHISKEY BOTTLE ON HAND! I'M MOSTLY LOOKING FOR NONPERISHABLE FOOD OR PERHAPS EVEN A WEAPON! TALK TO ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!"

Now, the waiting game would begin.

Minami would continue shouting this to all that passed by, seeing if anyone would be interested. Alcohol fared high in the market, as it was never included in the supply drops, and it's more of a luxury item. Well, not only that, but it can also be used as a molotov, should anyone desire to use it in such a way.

Minutes, then hours would pass. And curfew would inch on and on and on…

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Ah...yes?"

She would look at a rather dilapidated yet smiling old man, wearing a tattered blue shirt and long track pants. In his hand, he held….a pocketwatch.

Something Kimiko would love to have….

"You said you were offering a bottle of alcohol for trade, did you not?"

Minami calmly nodded. "Indeed. What do you have to offer?"

"Ah well, everyone in Invictus wanted a day to celebrate, so I was interested in it. As for what I have to offer...name your price, and Invictus will bring it to you. Of course, as long as it's nothing too ridiculous."

"The watch."

"Pardon?"

"The pocketwatch you're holding. I'll gladly exchange this bottle for that item."

The old man simply looked to the watch in his hand. It was predominantly silver, with a beautiful design of a few ruby crystals on the back. Definitely an expensive item, as well as very aesthetically pleasing. He hesitated, but then he simply shrugged. And then he suddenly threw it towards Minami, which the woman would catch and then hand the alcohol bottle to him.

"Deal. Pleasure doing business with you, Miss…"

"Tomoya Minami. I hope that Invictus has fun with th-"

"WHAT?! YOU WON'T TAKE MY DAMN PAPER FOR A PIECE OF FOOD?!"

Off across the market, there was a rather angry blue-haired woman screaming at a female teenager, who seemed to be emotionless at the moment in response to the woman's sudden outburst.

"Madame, please, calm down. What you're offering simply isn't worth it. The paper is of rather low quality and rather marked, so of course I won't exchange that for my canned beans."

"FUCK YOU! I NEED THAT FOOD! FINE, THEN IF YOU DON'T WANT IT, then…"

In the woman's hands, she held a 12-gauge shotgun, and without warning, she pulled the trigger and quite literally blew away the teenager away.

As well as any source of serenity and order.

With the teenager summarily dead, the corpse now bleeding against the wall, the woman would pump the shotgun again and fire into the general crowd, causing everyone in the market to either flee or shoot back. People just started falling and falling, getting caught in the crossfire as bullets rang throughout the entire city.

Minami, of course, ran, gripping the pocketwatch in her left hand while taking her M1911 into her right. The chaos of the market has now caused anyone who was even remotely armed to shoot at any strangers, as there was little knowledge on who actually started the scuffle. Thus, two people, one with a revolver and one with a carbine, took aim at Minami.

Minami took notice of this, kicked a thick metal table over, and hid behind it for cover. The table protected her from most of the bullets, but the metal wasn't thick enough, and some bullets bled over, causing some to hit her torso and began bleeding. Minami simply winced from the pain, but then kept track of where exactly the bullets were hitting from, taking in the sound of the muzzle and the sound off the table to get a precise angle.

See, Minami was rather...gifted with firearms. She had a natural talent with aim, especially during early hunting trip with her father in Australia, where she had managed to take down a large feral buffalo in a single shot. This natural talent was compounded when Minami joined the military, the People's Liberation Army, actually. After being shaped by its training regimen, Minami turned into a rather deadly machine with a gun in her hands. Able to quickly take down anyone in her way, and completing missions as an amazing elite, before retiring when she settled down with Kimiko.

Thus, taking down two amateurs here would be no problem. Once she was certain of their location, and when there was a break of gunfire due to them both being forced to reload, she shot in their direction, right before they would pop out to fire again, killing both of them with two swift headshots.

With those two out of the way, Minami would keep run towards one of the bodies, picking up the carbine and the ammo on his body. Holstering her pistol and putting the pocketwatch safely in her pocket, she grasped the carbine, loaded it, and ran off towards her home again.

Though, on the way, she took a...wrong turn. After three pathways, Minami found herself in a dead end. Cursing silently, she turned around before she saw three men, all armed and ready to fire.

And fire they did.

Well, one shot. Straight to her leg, crippling her and forcing her to drop her carbine on the ground.

"Hold on, don't finish her off. I think we can have a little fun with her~ What do you two think…?"

The two other men simply...chuckled sinisterly, mumbling incoherently as they nodded in a sick amount of eagerness. Yes, the three were planning to rape Minami.

'Dammit...no...I can't...leave...Kimiko...must reach for my...pistol..'

It didn't look good...to be honest. If Minami had reached for her pistol, one of the three would have shot her arm, and then she would be even more defenseless. To think, that this would be how she would go…

But...it seemed time would smile for her.

As the three men suddenly...fell over, with wounds over their chests, and in the distance, there would be a rather...young boy, who held two more throwing knives in his hands. The kid was short and evidently young, but he was rather...stoic. Blood that wasn't his marked his clothing, and his bright blue eyes were...ambivalent. What else was remarkable was that his face….it wasn't smooth, but looked like….looked like…

As if it were beaten not too long ago.

No way...this was the kid that Minami had heard of? The one that got beaten in the market for trying to run with chocolate?!

The young boy ran towards the three now dead people on the floors, and calmly took out the knives in each of their backs, not even bothering to wipe them off as he stored the blades in his green jacket.

"It's what you deserve after what you three did to me and my dad, and now you're going after another person. You people are truly weak."

Ignoring the pain, Minami took the chance to try to stand, which the young kid took notice.

"Hey, miss, don't exert yourself...let me help."

The young kid, who had an absurdly high amount of strength, supported Minami back to her two feet, allowing Minami to be upright.

"Uh...ugh...thanks...but...who are you?"

"Me? Oh, my name is Charles Pilcher. Looked like you needed help."

"Well, I'm fine at the...urgh...moment. Just need to get home. Not too far from here."

"...Ah I see. Well...I'll just...sit here then."

And just like that, Charles simply sat on the wall, looking into the ground with apparent feelings of loneliness and...emptiness. He had gotten revenge for what those men did to himself and his father, and he saved someone else from their wrath. So...why couldn't he feel anything? Victory, accomplishment, joy? Maybe it was because...there was no one else to share that with anymore.

Minami looked at the child with sympathy. As deadly as he looked to be, and how emotionless he may look, he was still a damn child. He was probably Kimiko's age actually, around eight years old. There should be no reason a child should be going around with those sort of weapons to fend for himself, let alone be in this sort of hellish nightmare at all. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to care for him….after all, he did just save her.

"Oi, Charles? If you want...I can lead you home with me."

"Huh, oh...madame, I couldn't. Resources are too precious to be shared for worthless people."

"Please, call me Minami. And worthless?! Come on, you say that after you saved my life? I owe you one, dammit, so take this opportunity and...urgh…"

Her broken leg failed on her, causing Minami to suddenly fall onto the ground, which Charles responded by standing up and supporting her again.

"...let me take care of you. I think my daughter will like you very much, especially when she hears that you saved me."

The boy simply shrugged. "I guess I have to then, now that you won't let me leave, and you sort of /do/ need my help. Alright, Minami, let's go."

With that, the two walked on to Minami's home, and during the whole way, it seemed that Charles had a soft smile on his face, while Minami also smiled, that was occasionally interrupted with the reminder of both the wounds on her stomach and her broken leg.

They made it to the particular door without incident, even though evidence of gunfights could be heard through the entire city, as well as bloodcurdling screams and explosions. Minami would lift her bloodied hand and knock, three times, then two long ones.

With that, Kimiko would open the door with a smile, only for that smile to be deleted off her face when she saw what happened to Minami.

"MOMMY! What happened...to...y-you?"

"Oh, baby girl…" Minami tried to embrace Kimiko as best she could, which was not that effective due to the condition she was in, being supported by Charles and all that.

"I'm alright, Kimiko...thanks to...well, why don't you introduce yourself?"

Kimiko would stop sobbing and change her teary gaze to the young boy at Minami's left, who would only give a sheepish smile.

"Ah...uh...I'm Charles. Charles Pilcher. I sorta saved your mother and brought her home. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kimiko."

"Wait...I brought something, Kimiko."

With a little bit of struggling, Minami would inch herself inside, closed the door, and sat down, before reaching into her pocket with groans of pain as she extracted what she had bartered for: the silver pocketwatch. Holding it out to the ravenette child, Minami gave a soft smile.

"Happy birthday, Kimiko…"

Charles would only watch in awe at what was happening before him, which would change to shock as he was suddenly hugged strongly by Kimiko, who had brought him and Minami to a small group hug.

"Thank you...thank you...both….I'm so...happy… that you...a-are….s-safe…."

That day was an important day for Kimiko. She would meet a child that she would grow with, survive with, eventually learn to love…

….And though she wouldn't know it at the time, that love would...destroy her.


	4. Chapter 4: Have You Given Up?

Needless to say, the happiness of Kimiko's birthday was ephemeral. Time marches on, emotionless, indifferent, dominant, omnipotent….

The first few days were overwhelmingly silent. Minami, Charles, and Kimiko all laid low within their small saferoom. Minami was often prone, due to her injured and tired state. Charles, from time to time, would walk over to the woman's side to check on her and, if it were necessary, care for her. Bring her food or water, change her bandages, help her up to go to the bathroom. It was hard to believe that he was still just a little kid while he acted like a parental figure to the actual parent.

In the meanwhile, Kimiko would often read or draw to occupy herself. Acting as a method of escape, such activities allowed her to retain a bright, optimistic view of the world, devoid of any corruption or failsafes of human nature, especially in where she was right now. Blood, torture, suffering death: Kimiko was aware that such things existed, but they were irrelevant, far away, fantastical, dreamlike.

Ah, but everyone needs to hit that stage, when they need to wake up and see that the world isn't all sunshine and rainbows….

[_]

"Ack...Urgh…"

"Minami, you're sick."

The stench of vomit and blood assaulted the entire room, forcing the trio inside to breathe such a pungent, fermented stench that would leave a sickening imprint on anyone's psyche. And if the odor wasn't memorable enough, surely the sight was. Minami was on the brink of death from her illness: her skin was borderline white, wrinkled, cracked, parched, dehydrated. Her hair, once a sharp, commanding tone of black, was now graying, succumbing to both time and fatigue and strife. Her eyes, once an alluring, intimidating in the face of danger yet gentle and loving when with her family, the stark hazel irises…..now dilated, void, submissive.

Afraid.

"I'm...not...sick...it's just...I'm tir-...oh no…"

Because Minami was too exhausted to move herself, Charles quickly guided her head to the designated teal bucket, where she, of course, threw up. Kimiko stared, disgusted and scared, but also weirdly entranced by her mother's ill state.

"Here." The boy with blue eyes handed Minami a thermos with cold water. "Drink this, lie down, and rest."

The ravenette graciously accepted the container and followed what Charles said without any sort of complaint or question.

"Thank you...why...are...you...doing so much...for me?"

"...You're the only family I have left."

A short answer that spoke much more from what Charles didn't say.

"Hey, Kimi. Wear this, please. It wouldn't do us well if you got sick too."

The little girl shifted her crimson eyes from her mother to her new 'brother'. In his left hand was a black facemask, presumably to prevent Minami's sickness from spreading to Kimiko byway of the wair. Charles himself was wearing a white medical facemask, and on his white t-shirt, stains of vomit and blood were evident. Minami's vomit and blood.

Taking the mask and wearing it on her face, her breathing restricted but protected, seh curiously switched her gaze between Minami and Charles. "Is….is my mom….is she okay?"

The male sighed. "It doesn't look good. On top of suffering flesh wounds, now those wounds are infected, and she's gravely sick. I don't think...she has a great chance of making it."

"She won't….no, mom can't die! She's...she's my hero. She's invincible!"

"...Kimiko, no one's invincible. Life isn't exactly like those stories that you always read while you're cooped up in here. Not everyone gets a happy ending."

"B-but...so you're saying...we...w-we just...we just watch her die? Is that right, Charles?!"

"Kimi…"

To calm down the female, Charles gently grasped her shoulders and lowered himself down to her level. He would gently place his forehead onto his to sort of increase the intimacy and make Kimiko less agitated. "She needs antibiotics. We don't have such supplies, and as it looks now, I don't think Minami can survive at all for another 24 hours without it. I don't even know if she'll make it /with the medicine/, but a slim chance is better than none….right?"

The tears from Kimiko's eyes momentarily ceased. "H-how...how do we...get the medicine? How can we s-save mom?"

Charles's voice dropped to a low whisper. "Today's Wednesday, which means there will be a supply drop today. If we can get to the correct drop location, we can snag the antibiotics and get out. However, there's going to be many others that want what we want, and they will hurt us if we get in the way. It's goin got be dangerous out there, and if we're not careful, we could very well die out there."

Kimiko tilted her head in confusion. "Why? What's out there?"

"You don't-?! ….Your mother must've done a good job at protecting you, hasn't she? What am I doing, trying to drag you with me? Hm...just stay here and care for your mother."

"No."

"Kimi-"

"NO! I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing while you go out there, where you say it's dangerous. I want to go outside, and I'm going to go outside to get. That. Medicine!"

Such determination was so strong that the fervor in her words stood in the air well after it was articulated.

"Kimiko...please...Charles...stop…"

Minami was struggling to speak, and even moreso to get up. A true mother. Ignoring her own pain in order to look out for her child's well-being, even though she was far from an ideal condition.

"Kimiko." Charles slowly stood up, reached for the carbine that laid against the wall, and took an extra magazine, placing that in his pocket. "I won't stop you if you go out with me, but, please, I beg of you, think this through."

[_]

"Safety switch is here. While it is on, the gun won't fire. Just switch it like so. Remember, don't switch it on when you don't need to, and only place your finger there when the time comes for it to be necessary. This can kill whomever you point this at. Remember the magnitude of your actions, especially when this is in your hands."

Handing the pistol to Kimiko, Charles swung his own rifle over his right side. The sort of air that he carried with him was one of a cold, but internally caring military sergeant: he had his objectives, and he was going to accomplish them without any sort of mistake or failure.

That includes Kimiko's safety.

With the 1911 in her hands, the weapon felt...surreal. In her hands exists the quintessential tool of death, and the black, foreboding outer layer contrasted sharply with her petite, pale hands. The weapon has caused many wounds and scars and bloodshed, and yet, the current user was devoid of even any concept of such things, both mentally and physically.

Kimiko spent a little time fiddling with the weapon, almost as if she were treating it like a toy. The barrel, the safety, the clip, the hammer, the grip, the trigger. Once she gained a proper hold of it, the pistol suddenly felt in tune. No more did it feel as an outcast, but more as an extension….no, a completion, as if she was meant to hold a firearm in her hands and realize her true self.

Wait a minute, where was this coming from?

Her zen was interrupted, and it disturbed Kimiko enough to drop the weapon and squeal. "EEK!"

Clink.

"What the-?! Good grief, Kimiko, keep a tight grip on that thing."

Charles picked up the downed 1911 from the pavement and handed it to the little girl once more. "I guess your attire doesn't really have a good way of holstering it, per say. Just keep it in your hands and don't let it go. Please?"

"Sorry… I don't know what came over me before. I got it now. Let's get going. The more we're out here, the sicker mother is getting!"

Urgency now reset in both of their minds, the two would silently continue to maneuver through the various alleyways of the Chinese city. Their pace was deliberate, but it was also incredibly careful, as the last thing they wanted was to encounter another scavenger that might not be above murdering children.

"Stay close, Kimi. I can't stress that enough."

"I'm here, I'm here. I'm not leaving your side, Charles."

Seconds of tension would evolve into minutes of dread, as each turn of the corner potentially held the presence of an enemy. And yet, everything was silent. Not even the scurries of rats or raccoons could be heard. Were things really this lifeless?

"Jesus...Christ...ugh…"

"What's wrong, Charl-oh my…."

One of the passages the two went through was filled to the brim with the stench of decay, so strong that one was capable of tasting the bitter, vomit-inducing, rotten palate it produced. One could also hear the soft yet constant hum of flies, their primal nature drawn to physical manifestations of horror and filth. No single sign of life or humanity was left within their frame. The body was unclothed, and it was entirely lacerated, decorated with tears, dried blood, wounds, and some other….bodily fluids. A lack of an external appendage at the pelvis, as well as slight indentations on their chest. Their short turquoise hair, once graceful, now marred….it was easy for Charles to deduct what had happened to this person.

A solitary black book, as well as broken, red, elliptical glasses laid peacefully next to the victim of rape. She was probably no more than 15 years old…

"For God's fucking sake...dammit...Kimi, don't look!"

Kimiko, on the other hand, was both confused and...mesmerized. Step by step, the child couldn't help but look at the victim as a canvas, almost as if her mutilated condition was almost….an art form. Blood, the quintessential elixir to life, no arrayed, exposed, evaporated atop the perfect medium: its opposite, death.

Her hand would drift forward, as if she were in a trance, so that it would lay upon the bluenette's naked chest. "...Why...how do I feel nothing but cold and emptiness? I feel no sort of beat, like what I have on my own...when I place my hand on my heart. Do you have no heart? Have you given up? Have you fallen down? Have you been destroyed?"

"KIMIKO, STOP THAT!"

Charles would then tear Kimiko off of the dead body, a clear look of fear on his face.

"What the hell? Why were you touching her? Good god, you know how...that was...Kimiko, we need to focus on your mother, right?"

"My mom? My mother….My mother! What the….why….why did I touch her….."

"Kimiko, come on, we have no more time to waste, we /need/ to get moving."

He'd never say it out loud, but I know what he was thinking at that time:

'What the fuck is wrong with her?'


	5. Chapter 5: Dress of Crimson

After that little disturbing sight, the pair ambled on quietly to the market in the city's center. There was nothing to say, at least, nothing painless to say. Charles was disturbed, and Kimiko was frightened on what the girl did only a few minutes ago.

'Why did I...oh God, it felt so cold. She was a person, right? But when I touched her, she felt like metal, metal that's been left outside in the winter. I want to tell myself that she was merely asleep but...I feel as if that's not the case….and...why did I feel such a desire to touch her, anyways?'

Her eyes were only focused on her right hand, still afflicted by the ghost of her actions, trembling in shock and uneasiness.

"Kimi, over here."

"Huh?"

Saved from her thoughts temporarily, Kimiko turned her head forward to see Charles ahead of her, hiding beneath a green dumpster. The stench was powerfully raw, but compared to the odor from before, this was nothing. Still though….

"A dumpster? Really?"

The male simply shrugged. "It's secluded and dark, and it provides us great vision of the market ahead, just on the right, see? It's a perfect hiding spot: after all, who looks around trash heaps, nowadays?"

"...But...still.."

Soft sounds of rapidly approaching footsteps would resonate off the walls, entering both of the children's ears and prompting Kimiko to let go of her disgusts and join Charles beneath the structure.

Not a few seconds after she dived out of sight, a solitary, thin male would run down the alleyway, desperately running for his life and panting heavily.

"No...please...wait...I.."

His pleas and grunts of exertion would be put to rest, as his next few words were choked out.

"Ah...ack...ka….ka…"

With a heavy thud, the male would drop the ground. As he laid, the pair could see his face twisted in anguish and shock, pupils fully dilated and a knife protruding through his throat. Blood would trickle on the pavement, a pool flowing outwards, inching towards Kimiko and Charles.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the two would recline backwards to avoid the blood...at least, until they ran out of space behind them. And with more footsteps on the way, leaving their hiding spot would not be an advantageous action.

The liquid crept up to both of the children's arms, marking their skin with its warm embrace. Charles kept his gaze forward, ignoring the blood and focusing on the incoming footsteps. Kimiko, in the meanwhile, would stare at her arms that were now coated in the gore, half in wonder and half in horror.

Two pairs of legs stopped ahead of them. One knelt down to the dead male on the ground, quickly taking the dagger out of his neck.

"Tch. He shouldn't have run from us." A female voice, sharp and commanding.

"What did you expect from him, leader?" A male voice, soft, fatherlike, understanding. "He was a dead man walking either way. Honestly, I would've done the same."

"Of course you would say something like that, Carlos. Is everyone ready?"

"Sí. Todos están listo."

"Perfect. Let's make sure everyone in Invictus has plenty to eat."

Two shots of...grappling hooks(?) would ensue, and the legs lifted into the air.

"...Kimi, are you alright?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. Just a little blood on me, no biggie."

"Right...we should get out of here and move up. See that barrel on the right? We should be able to hide behind it. Just follow me."

With their limited space, the two had to inch their way out while prone. With the knife know removed from the body's neck, blood now flowed even more profusely, inundating the surrounding cement with crimson. Each movement would splash more blood everywhere, covering their clothes in a dark red. By the time they managed to get out, their front side...face, clothes, skin, everything...all red.

Kimiko couldn't help but chuckle at this fact, despite the fact that she knew where this liquid came from. "Hehehe...jeez, we're soaked. I want a good, long, hot bath once this is done.

Charles simply gave an amused snort and smile in reaction to Kimiko's out-of-place statement, but those would be replaced by a serious look as he turned back to the source of their condition. Crouching down, he caressed the male's head to close his eyes.

"Repose en paix, monsieur."

Then, Charles would carry the body, open the dumpster's lid, and throw the body amidst the waste.

"Sorry that I can't place you in a more appropriate spot. I'll wonder about you. The story you had, the lessons that you learned and taught, the people who you cared about and in turn, cared for you. But alas, at the moment, you're trash, and that's all you will be from now on. Forgotten waste of space. Then again, I'm no better."

Gently closing the lid and pausing once it was closed to give what looked to be a prayer, Charles let go of the oversized trash can and returned eye contact with Kimiko, who was watching the entire interaction intently.

"Charles, could he hear you?"

A simple raise and drop of his shoulders. "Maybe. Maybe not. I like to think that he did. Makes things easier."

"Sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for, Kimi? You haven't done anything wrong."

"But ah...you said that me and my mom were the only family you had left. Does that mean…?"

"Later. I'll speak of that at a later time. Right now, we've got to focus on giving MInami a fighting chance."

As the male walked on forward, Kimiko thought to herself: 'He hides it well, but I can feel it. He's hiding something, some sort of closet of skeletons. I do hope I can help him, maybe find out what he's hiding, before it's too late.'

Those thoughts...ah, maybe, just maybe, if I acted on them sooner…

[_]

Helicopters roared above their heads, signalling the beginning of the supply drops.

"Remember, Kimi, we have to wait for the right time. There's most likely hundreds of others that need supplies as much as we do. Thanks to your mom, we have enough food to last ourselves a couple of months, so we'll let the first few drops attract the most attention. Once their focus is not entirely on us, we can wait for the medical box to drop; it's mostly red, so it should be easy to identify. We have to stick together at all times. The desperation and desire everyone here has can bring them to commit horrendous actions. Got all that?"

The girl nodded. "Mmhmm. Let's do this."

A loudspeaker would flare up from one of the helicopters.

["ATTENTION: The PLA will be dropping boxes of supplies momentarily. Any attempt or intent to interrupt our actions or destroy property will be seen as a declaration of war. This is your final warning. Please, try to control yourselves better this ti- ah, forget it. At this point, you're all savage animals within this unholy excuse of a zoo. Stay clear! Dropping now!"]

Cables supporting the weight of the crates would be broken, and as such, the containers within those cables dropped to the ground in not-so-graceful crashes.

[_]

I'll try to retell the next few minutes in the best way I can. I've gathered information by using Yud on multiple people who were present in this event, including myself. Ah….now this was a source of nightmares, if anything else. It was a great snapshot of what life was like in this hellish city. Heh, 'Nightmare'. People who call me by that title...most of them have seen nothing, and because of that, they're lucky. I know I'm far from an angel, but, trust me, I could be a lot worse.

After all, all I promise is death, and the worst I can get is somewhat sadistic. Believe me, there are things worse than sudden death.

I don't torture unless I need to. Remember that.

[_]

"CHAAARRRGEE!"

A ashe-blonde female teenager with purple eyes on the roof above Charles and Kimiko would make the decisive cry. The children recognized the voice as the killer that had passed by earlier.

If Minami was there, she would have recognized the teen as the one who stood up to the PLA on day one.

The leader of Invictus, it seems.

Battlefield. That's what the market quickly degraded to. A few people with pistols and rifles were shooting in the general direction of where people were. Everyone else had some sort of weapon, ranging from machetes, 2x4's, shards of glass, and even their bare hands. With anything and everything, people would beat or cut each other to death. A man slit a woman's throat, stealing her life away in a mere instant. A woman would beat a child's head in with a brick, ignoring its high-pitched squeals of agony, only stopping once the child's squeals stopped. A gang of children would jump onto a man, biting and clawing at the male, ripping his skin off and hurting him until he ceased his struggling, before those children were shot by a rifle from afar, tearing their limbs off and making them cry their eyes out until they were trampled.

["Command, HVT is present. Requesting permission to engage."

["Do not use explosives. I repeat, do not use explosives. Stick to your 9mm cannons. You are cleared to engage the HVT and anyone that gets in the way between you and her."]

["Understood. Weapons free."]

"Kimiko?! The box?! Can you see it, Kimiko?!"

Off to the distance, separated from most of the bloodshed, existed a red box with the Red Cross insignia on the front of the container.

Three quick taps onto Charles's shoulder, then a point in the supplies' direction. "There! It's over there!"

"Safety's off?"

Click. "Off."

"Let's go. Follow me."

The two would retreat from their hiding position, running along the left side to attract the least amount of attention while keeping their guns up to ward away potential attackers. A few gunslingers would take aim at the pair, but before they could fire, both Charles and Kimiko would shoot them with disturbingly sharp accuracy.

As the two ran, the supply helicopter turned itself around, spooling up its minigun and taking aim at Invictus's leader, threatening to cut her into ribbons. A little bit later, and the minigun opened fire, shooting 600 rounds per minute.

At the sound of minigun fire, Charles grabbed Kimiko and ducked.

"Get down!"

"Oof!"

The female upon the roof scoffed, and, suddenly, a green force field would materialize around her. The field...protected her, preventing bullets from entering the field and instead having them absorbed by the energy.

"Declaration of war? Please, you /really/ don't expect me to retaliate?! Carlos, fire the Stinger. Everyone else, danger close!"

Charles looked up from his cover to see that the helicopter was engaging someone else. "Oh, it's not aimed at us. False alarm. Open the box, I'll cover you."

Charles kept his carbine trained on their surroundings, as well as on the exchange between the helicopter and the two Invictus members.

Behind the blonde, a large, muscular male wearing a leather jacket and jeans held the anti-aircraft launcher over his shoulder, locked onto the aircraft.

"Hahaha! I guess breaking into the police station was a good idea after all!"

"Hurry, Carlos! My Territory can't take much more!"

["What the hell?! I'm being locked on?! Shit, I don't have flares!"]

Once the lock was stable, Carlos fired the launcher at the craft, making a direct hit with the vehicle. The heat from the missile was able to react with the aircraft's fuel tanks, causing a chain reaction and creating a large explosion.

The resulting explosion caused pieces of fiery debris to fall all over the courtyard. Most of the pieces were small, but there were a few select pieces large enough to cause mayhem. Those unlucky to be in their way would be both crushed and burned to death.

The explosion distracted Charles away from watching their flanks, allowing a solitary male to pass through.

"Charles, it's open, and I got it! Let's get ou- oomph!"

"Huh?! KIMI!"

The male wore a blue hoodie and a baseball cap, obscuring his facial features. He had kicked Kimiko off of the box, sending her flying into a wall, forcing her to drop the two bottles of antibiotics she held, The assailant hurried to pick up the antibiotics, running towards the nearest alleyway to get away. However, a burning propeller landed between the assailant and the entrance, cutting off his escape route and allowing Charles to melee him in the head with the butt of the carbine to daze him and take back the medicine.

With the attacker down, Charles picked up the pink bottles of medicine and ran back to Kimiko. "Kimi?! We have to run, now!"

From hitting her head, the small girl was confused and dazed. SHe didn't even realize she was being talked to, she was so out of it. The 1911, however, was holstered in her skirt pocket completely, allowing her to hold on to the weapon despite previous physical trauma.

"Dammit."

Now, the three other helicopters focused their attention on the female and Carlos on the roof. The familiar whirl of a minigun getting ready to fire was now tripled in magnitude. The vigilante's 'Territory', though strong, would not be enough to hold off three miniguns' fire at peak condition, let alone when it was heavily damaged.

However, before they could fire, all of them exploded.

Slingshots.

Unbeknownst to the PLA pilots, three teams of three had set up slingshot mechanisms, with the ammunition being molotov cocktails. One of the teams had a skinny old man firing the cocktail.

The same alcohol that Minami had traded for Kimiko's watch, with the same male. It all comes full circle, doesn't it?

"Huh, they didn't fail us." The commander was deadpan at the lightshow in front of her.

"Haha! I knew they wouldn't! Glory to Invictus!"

More debris would rain hellfire from above. Charles had to get themselves out of there, and quick. Placing the bottles of medicine in his pockets and dropping his own carbine onto the ground, he took Kimiko into a bridal carry and ran. Ran and ran, ignoring the fireworks above him. A piece of debris grazed his left arm, burning it and making Charles wince. Nevertheless, the male ran and ran.

Finally, he made his way to the alleyway they initially exited from on his right, escaping the market with Kimiko in his arms and the medicine on hold. He retraced their steps, passing the dumpster, splish splash of blood still present on the ground, turning right, then a second left, passing the dead girl's rotting carcass, 'have you given up?', then taking a left…

"Mmnn….hhnnn…"

Kimiko slowly began to recover, becoming more wary of her surroundings and becoming conscious enough to learn of their situation.

"Charles….do...we...h-have…"

"Yeah, I have it. Just a little bit more, Kimi-"

He never finished that sentence.

The attacker from before had apparently recovered and caught up with the pair of children, enough so to tackle Charles, forcing him to drop Kimiko and fall to the ground. Kimiko fell off to the right side, while Charles and the male struggled. Punches, jabs, kicks, anything. Charles used his small size to gain the early advantage, allowing him to be nimble and dodge the other male's attacks while putting great momentum to hurt the man's torso. However, one positioning mistake ended with Charles receiving a strong uppercut, launching the lightweight into the air to then come down clumsily onto his back, knocking the wind out of him.

Kimiko's vision had dulled again thanks to the previous fall, but gradually as the fight between Charles and their assailant continued, her senses recalibrated. Once she became fully aware, she saw Charles, defeated and lying on the ground. The adult gave a small, unsettling smirk of victory as he took something out of his pocket, something that when he raised it, was shaped to a particular point and reflected a bit of the light…

A knife. And Kimiko knew that he would kill Charles with it.

"NO!"

She didn't remember unzipping her skirt pocket, nor did she remember taking the weapon into her hands, but she raised the pistol and fired at the man's back.

BANG! BANG!

Surprise and pain would cause the assailant to drop the knife as he clutched his chest.

"...ack...you!"

The male would turn to Kimiko, showcasing his feral and insane complexion. Taking the knife with his left hand, he ignored his wounds and leapt at the young ravenette.

Time seemed to slow down for Kimiko. Fractions of seconds would elongate as she saw her attacker make his movements. She had only enough time for one single shot, and she needed to roll out of the way to dodge the knife's edge. ON her left, there was a pipe system, so there was no space to maneuver there. Her right, however, was clear of any obstacles.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Shoot.

Then roll to the right.

Why as that...so natural for her? After all, only hours ago did she not even comprehend the concept of death.

And now...she had managed to evade her assailant while shooting a round through his neck, causing him to choke on his own blood. The faint smell of gunpowder filled Kimiko's nose as she witnessed the male's struggling.

"No..please...my son…"

Is that...what he needed the antibiotics for? I don't know if he was lying or not, honestly. But alas…

"I'm sorry."

Darwinism. Survival of the fittest.

Or, cruellest, I guess, in this case.

One final shot would exit the girl's pistol, connecting with the man's head and putting him out of his misery. Blood from his wounds would flow, just like the male that Charles had thrown into the dumpster. To her shoes, then legs….Kimiko, however, wasn't as disturbed as the first time.

"...Warm…"

Finally standing up, she reloaded her pistol swiftly. The motion was pure instinct. She's never seen one reload a weapon, nor did she know that the clip only had seven shots. A perfect extension of herself.

Isn't that unsettling? I mean, come on. An 8-year-old, a FUCKING 8-year-old, child perfectly in-tune with a gun that she's held for the first time?

Kimiko would proceed to shake Charles out of his confusion. "Charles?! Wake up!"

Eyelids would slowly uncover the cerulean oculars of his, dragging him back to this putrid plane of existence known as reality.

"Kimi...wait! Where is he?!"

"...He's dead. I shot him."

"Did you….ah, damn. Come on, it's been a long day for the both of us. Let's go home."

No sense of shock or surprise or shame or wonder or fear in his words. Not a single trace. He simply said those words as truth. Something that he often lacked in other times….

[_]

Click! The door opens.

"Mom, we've got your meds! Charles, hurry up and give them to her!"

"Kimiko, Charles? Oh...thank God, you're alright."

"Drink up."

Charles held out the cap, filled with an ounce of the purple liquid, allowing the woman to drink it.

Kimiko spoke once more. "Were you alright without us?"

"Pah! Ah, that tastes pretty bad…..alright? Come on now, the worry that you were going to die out there was killing me faster than this sickness was! It's incredibly dangerous out there, don't you know that now?! And you had to...go out...because of….why…?"

"Oi, Minami. If it weren't for Kimi, I wouldn't be here. She saved me, after all."

"Charles, you saved me much more often before. All I did was shoot someone."

"Kimiko, you shot someone?! Oh God...why do you have so much blood on you?! You aren't Kimiko! You're….what the fuck have you done with my child?! You're not Kimiko….you felt it too, didn't you, Charles?! There's...there's a monster, a monster that's fucked with my child. GET OUT OF THERE YOU DEMON!"

Minami's eyes had now widened, and with a surprising burst of strength, she got up and tackled Kimiko, strangling the child's scrawny neck.

"ACKK…M0M! I...ACK…"

"KIMI! MINAMI!"

The male jumped to action, and applied pressure on a specific point to make the woman go unconscious, allowing her to loosen her grip on Kimiko's neck and allowing her to breathe again.

"...what….why...whydidmomdothat? ¨+Whydidshesaythat?"

The atmosphere was thick enough to drown inside.

"Kimiko….I don't know. She's going to be asleep for awhile, now. Forget about that for now. We need to wash up, no?"

"...Right. Let's...go….momwhy….?"

Ah. If only she saw that the 'demon' and the girl she knew and loved…

They were one and the same. Hehe.

[_]

["Commander….what should we do? We lost four contact with four armed supply helicopters?"]

["...If they refuse our help, they deserve our wrath. We'll go to war with them, and we won't stop until every crevice of this city is purged of such dirt."]

["Understood. How...how are we going to deal with such a technology as the one she used?"

["We have Phantom, do we not? We'll have her help."]


	6. Chapter 6: Lamedh, the God-Slaying Hour

Ever since Charles and Kimiko secured the antibiotics, for four months the PLA troops have roamed the streets of Kumul, hunting for any survivors and killing them on sight. Supply drops have entirely ceased; helicopters would instead be deployed for execution purposes. The roars of helicopter blades and sounds of minigun fire tearing buildings and people into ribbons were unfortunately common. The PLA aimed to exterminate everyone in the city. Not just because of the people's attacks on them, but also as a way of censorship.

The Chinese government saw Calamity Zero not as a disaster bu as a….demonstration. In the epicenter of the spacequake, the PLA had found a singular woman that they codenamed Phantom, who they deduced to be the cause of the disaster. They captured her, and they conducted terrible experiments on her. Calamity Zero had triple the destructive radius of Little Boy and Fat Man combined, the two nuclear weapons dropped on Japan to help end World War II. Because China at this time had very few nuclear weapons and were growing as an economic power, China worked tirelessly to harness Phantom's power. They used….everything. Anything to subdue her. Titanium bonds, electric shocking, impalation, branding, oxygen deprivation, pitchcapping, denailing, flaying, beating, rape, starvation, sleep deprivation…..whatever it took to break the Spirit into submission.

Three months. Three grueling months, and they turned Phantom into a living weapon.

Keeping the news of Calamity Zero within their borders was difficult, but a combination of genius cybersecurity experts, public relation officers, and ruthless military techniques prevented anyone from disseminating "Project: Phantom." Outer cities that were afflicted but not destroyed by the spacequake, including Kumul, were previously taken care of and confined in order to keep them silent while the government dealt with initial damage control and research. Once both of those objectives were accomplished, the information on spacequakes was deemed to be so hypersensitive that anyone that was not a high-tier government member that knew of the information had to be killed.

See what I mean when I said this was the story that no one has said, but that you need to know?

As such, the PLA scoured each outer city for personnel and shot all they could. Some cities were easier than others, as not every city had such an adamant anti-PLA sentiment and had faith that the army would care for them. To minimize the cost of destruction, they refrained from destroying the cities outright. That way, the city could be cleaned up, rebuilt, and refilled with ignorant citizens to minimize any sort of informational vulnerability or outside suspicion.

This was but a secondary objective, however. For incredibly resilient cities, they ignored this, and they sent out everything after them, going full-waged war on them. However, a few select cities were able to repel this PLA-induced genocide. These cities had access to anti-air launchers, turrets, assault rifles, helicopters, and even Territories like the one the Invictus leader had taken. The PLA was losing great amounts of resources and lives in trying to silence these people. Keeping them alive any longer risks a leak of information, which would be further compounded if their methods of censorship were also revealed. The United Nations would have had a field day.

If only….oh, if only Phantom had not submitted so quickly….they might have had a chance. Especially because they had him…

[_]

{Location: Urumqi, China.  
Date: 9/19/1991

Time: 8:43 PM}

["Command, we're sending in the VIP into the city."]

["Acknowledged."]

A solitary fighter jet hurried along into the targeted city, carrying a large metal canister on the bottom. As the jet hurried along the sky, the people within took notice, alerting everyone within of the potential attack.

As a response, multiple groups of people equipped with anti-air weapons took aim at the jet and attempted to shoot it down. One volley of missiles roared towards the jet. Flares were launched to ward off the wave of missiles, but they could only ward off so many…

BOOM! Direct hit!

["Mayday, mayday! We're going down…"]

The jet crashed into a skyscraper, causing a massive explosion and bringing the entire structure to come crashing down, kicking up dust and rubble and crumbling down. Before the jet was destroyed along with the large building, it dropped the canister on top of a building safely.

"We got it! But...what did that plane drop over there?!"

["Kill them all."]

Within the canister, something...electric, a powerful current of electricity, would run through. What would follow would be a feminine shriek of pain as the current conducted incredibly well with the metal within, amplifying the electricity's ability to hurt someone.

The current would stop as well as the screaming until the top of the canister was removed by an incredible burst of energy. The metal door would fly up into the air before it came back down into the ground, crashing with a few clangs and bouncing a few times before coming to a complete rest.

What existed inside was a…..an amalgamation of pixels. What the…? No, this wasn't her true appearance. She could mask her appearance and her voice well, making her incredibly hard to identify and detect. That was more compounded in photographs, videos, or even one's memories.

Various people within the city watched Phantom as she panted heavily, taking in her surroundings and her given objective. Though it was hard to make out, a sort of choker could be seen around the female's neck.

◘"Kill….them...all…"◘

Dangerous spatial energy would gather in her two…..hands(?), swallowing up dust, debris, and the air as she charged a technique.

"What is that woman doing?"

"I don't know…"

Instead of doing anything to stop her, the entire city watched her charge her spell of space. Seconds would drag on, minutes felt like years, until Phantom broke the tense silence with one word.

◘"Cataclysm."◘

Letting her energy go free, she launched a deadly spacequake, rapidly consuming infrastructure and people alike. There was no time for any sort of reaction, not even to scream in terror or widen one's eyes in shock. Matter became….utterly destroyed. The purplish burst of space violated so many laws of the universe that it simply compounds of Phantom's power. Everything was impartially removed from existence. The only object to remain of Urumqi was a purple sphere of vanity and silence. Silence…

Or….it would have been…

"ZAPHKIEL! DALET!"

All of that destruction, death, apocalypse...it would all suddenly reverse. The entire city regressed from a barren, purple wasteland to its standard condition once again.

◘"What the-?! How?!"◘

"You /really/ think I will let this city and everyone within it die so easily?! Please, I have things to protect, and this place is one of them."

A solitary male floated in front of Phantom. He had short brown hair, a blue left eye and a golden clock right eye. He wore a suit, an Astral Suit, colors of charcoal black and blazing orange adorning themselves throughout the attire. In his white gloved hands were a musket and a flintlock pistol, weapons that looked like they were from the 19th century. Behind him, a giant golden clock ticked and ticked.

Wait...wait a minute, what the-

◘"That was you?! Hmph….I didn't know other crystals leaked into this world. I brought only three with me. But no matter, you're in my way. You and Zaphkiel. Therefore, your life is forfeit."◘

"You're going to kill me already? Oh please, you didn't even ask me for my name! How rude…."

A blade aimed for the male's throat would be blocked by a blood-red shadow.

"Ah...you should not have done that."

The shadows blocking Phantom's blade would spread until they gained a hold of her frame, placing her under the male's influence. As such, the male would give a smug smile as he used his shadows to hurl Phantom down towards the ground.

The Spirit found the impact debilitating, but nothing major. Torture that the PLA had put her under made this seem like nothing. It still dazed her nonetheless, leaving her open to the male's discretion.

"Zaphkiel, Zayin."

Pointing to 7:00, the golden clock imbued his pistol with a bullet that can stop time of anything it hits. Using the shadows to bind Phantom further, he fired the shot. With little time to react and no way to move, Phantom took a direct hit, freezing her entire body in black save for maroon outlines. Clones of this time-manipulating male would form, all with the same guns in their hands, and started to fire a barrage at the frozen Phantom.

"Zaphkiel, Lamedh."

Lamedh?! What the fuck, that's not even an hour I know!

To activate this hour, the male would swing his flintlock pistol twice clockwise around the clock before pointing to 12:00. Once it was activated, Zaphkiel imbued the male with this particular bullet...although the wisps that entered his flintlock pistol were white instead of a dark red. Phantom was still frozen in place, leaving her defenseless to the next bullet she would face.

"Inevitable event creation. The bullet that stops for nothing and no one. The God-Slaying Hour. Farewell."

He placed the pistol on top of her forehead...only for it to phase through completely. Phantom was intangible.

"What the hell?! That's not….shit...where is she?!"

Zayin's effect expired, and the literal phantom of Phantom...disappeared into nothingness. Such an event would hint at a victory, but this male seemed to know better.

'Where is she?! Dammit, I have to use Lamedh first on something before I can access Yud Aleph to search for her. This could be bad. She could be anywhere at any time, and I'm defenseless-"

◘"Punishment."◘

All of a sudden, the male's body would be filled with bullet holes in a single burst, some through his limbs, some through his stomach, a few through his heart and lungs. He found it hard to move, breathe or even think because of the immense pain he was going under. Multiple gasps for dear life would be made.

"How...ack…"

Punishment. The damage taken by a copy of Phantom is instantly recast on whomever she wills it on, returning and amplifying the damage.

◘"Now, you die. Even your clones can't save you from this. Virus."◘

If the male's critical condition didn't spell out death, PHantom's next technique placed the final nail into the coffin. Invisible and intangible spores, millions and trillions and quintillions of them, exited Phantom's body almost as a pheromone. The spores could be absorbed by another person either by breathing them in or through the skin. Because they technically didn't 'exist', nothing can block them.

For the desperate male gasping for life, it was an utter death sentence.

Once the spores were inside the body, they attacked the soul. Each spore was actually a condensed energy source, and it simply entered the soul, filling it with more and more and more and more energy until the soul can't take anymore and

Overheats.

And if the soul overheats, it becomes...nonexistent. The person does not merely die...their existence is gone forever. Any memories or trace of them is removed and they are unable to reincarnate or continue in the afterlife. Nothing is left.

The male's clothes disintegrated in a blazing white light as he fell dead on the ground, naked. A singular, golden sphere clinked onto the ground, resting next to the soulless male. No one could decipher Phantom's face...but what would that gain? You want my guess? I bet it was stoic, emotionless, free of any feeling at all. No satisfaction, no pain, no happiness, no disgust. She was broken. Utterly broken.

◘"Pitiful. Though you had power and an Angel on your side, this battle was over the minute you turned against me. Besides, I knew what you would do before you even conjured the concept of your plan. Such trash, so utterly unfortunately nothing. Be glad that I remember you now. But that will not be for long. Now then…"◘

Spectators to the battle between the male and Phantom were at first mortified by Phantom's violence, until they forgot about the male entirely. Even still, they saw a female threatening to charge something and, instead of letting curiosity freeze them, all of them attacked. Bullets, rockets, knives, screams. Everything.

"Aegis."

It was all for naught.

A black sphere, almost as a Territory, surrounded Phantom, and everything headed towards her was stopped by that sphere. Clinking down to the ground, the projectiles rested harmlessly, never to kill anyone else ever again in its disuse. There was not even a sign of stress on the barrier. No dent, crack, or even influence. It was just a showcase of how utterly weak the humans were compared to Spirits.

Once the assault was finished, the barrier would unfold to reveal Phantom, who had finished charging another…

◘"Cataclysm."◘

And this time, there was nothing and no one to reverse time. So it continued….

[_]

"AH! What the...hell...why?!"

Even for the reminders I've had of my past, none were as volatile as this. That...wasn't my past. Far from it. I didn't know that information, or about anything on Phantom, or who the hell that man was.

"ZAPHKIEL! Come forth, and take your true form, won't you?!"

I swung my legs over the bloody hospital bed and, sure enough, Zaphkiel in her true form appeared in front of me. She looked...beautiful as always. Two foreboding black angel wings, pale skin, gothic, lolita attire, and a rose in her right hand. Her two eyes, like my right eye, were golden clocks.

{"Yes?"} Her voice….good grief, it always sends me chills down my spine.

"What the hell was that? Why...that could not have come from my own psyche. Who...who was that? A Spirit under you before I was?!"

{"Ah, Kurumi, you must be so confused right now~ Calm down. If you're a good girl, I'll answer some of your burning questions."} The archangel gave me an amused chuckle as I did my best to give her a threatening glare.

{"Alright, alright. First, yes, that dream was not of yours, but of mine. All those events that you saw and the information you heard...all of those are indeed true. The PLA attempted to use Phantom as a superweapon and viciously worked to censor information about her and Calamity Zero. When they finally forced Phantom to follow their orders, they sought to exterminate every outer city of everyone that resided in them. One outer city, Urumqi, had a Spirit try to defend against Phantom and the PLA. His Angel….you're looking at her, darling."}

"Okay, thanks for summarizing my 'dream.' Either way, I thought humans became Spirits if they lived and died horribly and were deemed worthy at a second chance of life. How did he die and become a Spirit?"

{"Tokisaki Kurumi, is that really what you believe? Good heavens...you're sorely mistaken. The only 'requirement' for someone to become a Spirit is to absorb a Sephira Crystal and for the Angel to accept the human. I don't know why, but I was dropped as a Crystal in that city, and he absorbed me, and I accepted him. After Phantom launched another spacequake, I was forced back into the Spirit Dimension, whereupon you stumbled upon me and well….here we are."}

"...You've got to be playing with me here…"

{"I know I'm a rather disgustingly playful Angel, but I'm dead serious. Not all Spirits are humans that have died. Don't you remember Miku Izayoi and Origami Tobiichi?"}

"I...ugh...you're right...then...how did I end up in Xan-"

{"I'm not answering that question."}

"Damn...alright, then. What about Lamedh? His shadows. He used Dalet to reverse the time of an entire city to reverse a fucking spacequake! How did he have access to so much power and I don't, even with eight years of us being together?!"

{"Eh, well, he had a great amount of time at his disposal, dealing with all the healthy, young PLA guards and whatnot. Plus, his intentions don't necessarily put my own existence in danger…"}

"...Is that why you hide your powers from me, Zaphkiel?"

{"Indeed. Besides, there's a reason the hour hasn't been unlocked. It takes nearly all of your current temporal energy pool to even activate. The bullet created is unaffected by time, causality, distortion, or even defense. It is an absolute bullet, an inevitable event. It also ignores any immortality, godlike status, or immunity of that sort. A shot like that to the head will kill /anyone./"}

"I see….so, why not tell me of the other hours?"

{"No way. No fucking way. I'm not giving you more information than I deem I need to. I can't stop you from unlocking my potential, as I've already relinquished to you. That being said, I'm not holding your hands through this hell. Be aware that every ability you try out consumes precious time for me~"}

Her smile of satisfaction and superiority and pride….I wanted to punch her, even if all that I would hit is the air.

"Fine then, I will. One last question….what was his name?"

{"Why does that matter? It won't change the past nor allow you a clear benefit."}

"Just give me the damn name, Zaphkiel."

{"...The Nightmare before you was once known as Aaron Zhu. Now, he is forgotten by everyone in the world and beyond it."}

"Thank you. Please, disappear from my sight."

Zaphkiel's form vanished into nothingness as I took a heavy sigh. "PLA, Phantom, Lamedh, Aaron Zhu...ah, can't have an easy day anymore, can't I?"

My voice resounded in the abandoned hospital's walls. Though it was audible, no one was here to hear it.

"Zaphkiel, I will unlock more than just your full potential. I will break your limits with my own willpower and learn to control power that you can barely even imagine.

Eventually, I will become so independently strong that I'll make my Demon King shudder in fear at the sight of me…"


End file.
